MLB Player News

DeJong will start at shortstop and bat third Sunday against the Pirates, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny is giving breathers to Dexter Fowler and Jose Martinez on getaway day, leaving a couple openings near the top of the order. DeJong will fill Martinez's usual spot in the three hole, making him a decent value play in DFS contests with a lightly regarded prospect in Nick Kingham taking the hill for Pittsburgh in his MLB debut.

Ahmed will start at shortstop and bat second Sunday against the Nationals.

With southpaw Gio Gonzalez twirling for the Nationals, the Diamondbacks will hold out three key left-handed bats, including outfielder Jarrod Dyson. That opens the door for Ahmed, who typically bats out of the sixth or seventh spot, to receive his most favorable lineup assignment of the season. He'll be nestled between David Peralta, who homered twice Saturday, and Paul Goldschmidt, who owns a .927 OPS on the campaign.

Gordon (knee) went 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in a win over the Indians on Saturday.

Gordon was apparently no worse for wear following his early exit from Friday's game after a collision with the outfield wall. The electric leadoff man was deployed out of his usual top-of-the-order spot and continued setting the table effectively, even swiping his 10th bag of the season in the process. Given his performance Saturday, Gordon's fantasy owners appear to have no reason for concern with respect to the fitness of his knee.

DeJong went 2-for-4 with a run in a loss to the Pirates on Saturday.

It was an underwhelming performance for the Cardinals offense as a whole, but DeJong came through with the team's only multi-hit effort. The 24-year-old shortstop has racked up a pair of hits in five of his last seven games, a span that includes four doubles and two home runs.

Sardinas is out of the lineup Sunday against the Tigers, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Since the Orioles claimed Jace Peterson off waivers from the Yankees on Tuesday, Sardinas has seen his everyday role at second base evaporate. Considering Sardinas has opened up his stint with the Orioles with a 2-for-18 showing at the plate, it shouldn't come as a surprise that manager Buck Showalter quickly pulled the plug on deploying the 24-year-old in a starting role. Sardinas will find himself on the bench for the fifth straight game Sunday.

Bogaerts is out of the lineup Sunday against the Rays, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Bogaerts started the first two games of the series after being reinstated from the 10-day disabled list Friday following a shutdown of nearly three weeks due to a cracked bone in his left ankle. The shortstop went 4-for-8 with two RBI in those contests and showed no apparent ill effects in the field, so it appears his absence Sunday is mostly maintenance-related. Tzu-Wei Lin will pick up a start at shortstop in Bogaerts' stead in the series finale and bat ninth.

Anderson went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader against the Royals.

Anderson led off the contest with his fourth home run of the season and first in 21 games. The shortstop is hitting .278 with a .327 on-base percentage through 25 games, big improvements on his .198 and .227 at the same point in 2017.

The Phillies placed Crawford on the 10-day disabled list Sunday with a right forearm strain, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Crawford, who departed early from Saturday's game against the Braves, is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Sunday, which should shed more light on the extent of his setback. Based on the team doctors' initial evaluation of Crawford's injury, it was quickly determined that he would be unavailable for at least the next week and a half, prompting the team to call up utility man Jesmuel Valentin from Triple-A Lehigh Valley for further reinforcement in the middle infield. It's likely that Crawford's absence will primarily benefit Scott Kingery, who should take over as the everyday shortstop after having been benched for three of the last four games in light of his recent struggles at the plate.

Seager went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during an 8-3 loss to the Giants in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.

After going 2-for-5 with two RBI in the opener, Seager stayed locked in by taking Johnny Cueto deep in the first inning of the nightcap. He's now hit safely in six of his last seven games to boost his slash line to .268/.351/.402, but Seager's power numbers remain disappointing -- he has only two home runs and 13 RBI through 25 games.

Crawford will undergo an MRI on his strained right forearm Sunday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Crawford's forearm has apparently been bothering him for a few days now, and it was a big enough issue Saturday to force his premature removal from the game. The severity of the injury remains unclear, but manager Gabe Kapler noted a trip to the disabled list is "possible," according to Breen.